June 12, 2012 : Oakland Roils, Does Occupy Need to Get Back?

<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif">What
is Occupy and what is not? Tens of thousands of protesters gather in
the middle of Moscow to protest Putin's iron-fisted rule and for a
more democratic society. For activists, attending demonstrations
carries risks – more than being pepper-sprayed. The Kremlin
denounces rising radicalism and says $9,000 fines for any one
attending rallies that “cause harm to people or property.” A
stiff fine given the average Russian yearly salary amounts to less.
Several leading activists called before an Investigative Committee on
an alleged criminal case, an attempt to deprive the event of its
headline speakers. </font><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/13/world/europe/anti-putin-demonstrators-gather-in-moscow.html"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>NY
Times</b></span></i></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><b><br /></b></i></font><br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<font face="Times New Roman, serif">While questions abound about the
relevance of the “Occupy brand” these days, the PR firm that did
unsolicited (?) pro-bono work for the demonstrators in the early days
of Occupy Wall Street has garnered a “Silver Anvil” from the
</font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><b>Public Relations
Society of America</b></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif">. It
seems that </font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><b>Workhouse
Publicity, </b></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif">an elite
agency, took it upon itself to go down to Zuccotti Park and develop a
campaign to shift attention from the demonstrators to their issues.
</font><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/occupy-wall-street-the-battle-over-pr-prize-for-the-protest-movement/2012/06/11/gJQAuqCiVV_blog.html"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><b>Washington
Post</b></i></font></a></h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><b>True
to form, Occupy Wall Street, who never engaged the firm officially,
is less than impressed. “ “Our success shouldn’t rely on a
company that works with the one percent,” according to press
spokesperson Dana Balicki.</b></i></font></h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<font face="Times New Roman, serif">Speaking of PR, it may be a boon
or a bust but actress and former sex symbol Jane Fonda comes out for
Occupy in a recent interview calling it a “wonderful, important
movement.” Fonda rose to prominence in the 60s and 70s causing
controversy with her public opposition to the war in Vietnam,
</font><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/08/jane-fonda-peace-love-and-misunderstanding-occupy-wall-street_n_1581031.html"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><b>huffpost</b></i></font></a></h3>
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<br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">While
the “fate of Occupy” is discussed and debated, Occupy Comics
rolls on, adding </span></span></font><cite><font face="Times New Roman, serif">Maus</font></cite><font face="Times New Roman, serif">
creator </font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
Art Spiegelman to its roster of artists, who are using the forum to
address the various socio-economic factors that gave rise to the
movement. The comics are availble in physical and electronic format
from the </span></span></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b><a href="http://www.blackmaskstore.com/">Black
Mask Online Store</a> </b></span></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">with
the profits going to fund the movement.</span></span></font></h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
spate of pessimistic articles is to be expected on the heels of the
Scott Walker recall victory in Wisconsin. Another past-time of
commentators, closely connected to ongoing occupy speculation is
predicting the demise of the labor movement in the United States.
Andy Kroll at </span></span></font><a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175556/"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><b>tomdispatch.com</b></i></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
writes lends some sanity to the proceedings, writing on “</span></span></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">How
the Wisconsin Movement Got Hijacked</span></i></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">”</span></span></font></h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><b>File
under : and this is news?</b></i></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
If Occupy feels the need to “get back” (video above), and broaden
its appeal to the 99%, it need look no further than consumer
frustration with being “nickel and dimed to death” by high bank
fees and the arcane language that governs use of checking accounts.
According to a recent “</span></span></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Pew
Safe Checking in the Electronic Age</b></span></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">”
Study :</span></span></font></h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b><font face="Times New Roman, serif">&quot;Consumers
are expected to wade through long, confusing documents and may be
subject to steep, unexpected fees to access their own checking
accounts, the cornerstone of household financial management,&quot;
said project director Susan Weinstock. <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2012/06/08/pf/checking-accounts/">cnnmoney</a></font></b></i></h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b><font face="Times New Roman, serif">Cities
: </font></b></i>
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<br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><a name="iba2_siteCss"></a>
<font face="Times New Roman, serif"><b>Occupy Oakland</b></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif">
keeps the heat on city councilor Pat Kernighan, sponsor of the
ordinance that broadly prohibits potential weapons at Occupy Oakland
demonstrations. Occupy demonstrators march to the councilor's house
(with a 6 car police escort) and stage a mini-rally, ringing her door
bell and chanting slogans, as well as bringing a plethora of items
they say could be misconstrued as weapons, such as a fairy wand, a
baguette, a piece of chicken, an umbrella and a yoga mat.
</font><a href="http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_20835293/occupy-oakland-targeting-council-member?source=most_emailed"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>Insidebayarea.com</b></span></i></font></a></h3>
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<br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><b>Oakland remains a tinderbox
of community and police tensions, <a href="http://sfist.com/2012/06/11/oakland_sees_50th_homicide_of_2012.php">with
many shootings taking place already in 2012</a> The city has tried to
deal with rising crime and violence by implementing a so-called “100
blocks plan”, which takes aim, at times literally, at areas (and
residents) said to be the highest concentration of crime. A new study
finds the plan failing. </b></i></font><a href="http://oaklandlocal.com/article/new-study-takes-aim-oakland-mayor%u2019s-100-blocks-plan"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>Oaklandlocal.com</b></span></i></font></a></h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<font face="Times New Roman, serif">Police there are now said to be
outsourcing their internal affairs investigation of their own
misconduct during the city's fall occupy rallies at which former
Marine now icon Scott Olsen was injured by a police projectile fired
at demonstrators. The cost of hiring outside law firms and private
investigators is said to be $750,000, or the annual cost of 4 police
officers. </font><a href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_20790709/oakland-budgets-750-000-outsource-occupy-complaints"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>Contracostatimes.com</b></span></i></font></a></h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><b>The
outsourcing of community police functions has been widely mentioned.
Municipal departments face budget cuts, which reduce and threaten
public safety, as certain “non-violent” calls, such as
burglaries, are no longer responded to. However, notes
</b></i></font><a href="Those%20cuts%20have%20opened%20the%20doors%20for%20private%20companies%20to%20move%20in"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>insidecriminaljustice.com</b></span></i></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><b>,
the cuts have “opened the doors for private companies to move in.”
</b></i></font>
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><b>As elsewhere, charges
brought by police are often trumped up and later dismissed by the
courts. Witness the case brought against Occupy activist Chris
Morland, who has been protesting <a href="1412">the
police shooting of teen-ager Alan Blueford</a>, allegedly unarmed.
Morland took on the police chief Howard Jordan in a public forum at
the Acts Full Gospel Church, where community complaints about the
shooting and OPD misconduct and brutality were aired. The cops waited
until he got to BART (<a href="http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/entertainment/celebrity/Robert-Pattinson-Celebrity-Occupy-supporters-are-hypocrites_24679043">pls
pass the word to Robert Pattinson</a>), then swarmed him, charging
him with felony assault with a deadly weapon (a bullhorn). A judge
later reduced the charge to Disturbing the Peace. Supporters rallied
on Morland's behalf the day he was scheduled to be released
</b></i></font><a href="http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/06/09/18715053.php"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>indybay.org</b></span></i></font></a></h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<font face="Times New Roman, serif">On the same side of the bay, a
judge tosses the charges of trespassing against the two remaining
Occupy the Farm protesters. The protesters had occupied a UC-Berkeley
piece of farm land slated for private development and a Whole Foods
to protect it for local, community farming. </font><a href="http://www.dailycal.org/2012/06/11/charges-not-filed-against-two-remaining-occupy-the-farm-protesters/"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>The
Daily Californian</b></span></i></font></a></h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Ditto
in Philly, where 7 Occupiers are acquitted on trespassing charges.
The occupiers had staged a sit in at the Comcast Center in Center
City</span></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
<a href="http://articles.philly.com/2012-06-11/news/32175716_1_trespass-comcast-corp-municipal-court-judge">Philly.com</a></b></span></i></font></h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="text-decoration: none;">The
DC Encampment is officially history. It's unclear what happened
exactly, but after some discussion the tents came down and the area
has been cleared.</span></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/mike-debonis/post/demorning-links-mcpherson-square-is-de-occupied/2012/06/12/gJQAN0eMXV_blog.html">Washington
Post</a></b></span></i></font></h3>
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<br />
</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>Today's
Volvo Ocean Race Update highlights the Lisbon in-port race, which
sees Groupama attempting to become the first french team to win since
1985 even as Telefonica takes the leg 8 lead. <a href="http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/outdoors-fishing-boat/2012/06/11/telefonica-takes-leg-8-lead-in-volvo-ocean-race/">Blogs.sun-sentinel.com</a></b></span></i></font></h3>
</body>
</html>

What
is Occupy and what is not? Tens of thousands of protesters gather in
the middle of Moscow to protest Putin's iron-fisted rule and for a
more democratic society. For activists, attending demonstrations
carries risks – more than being pepper-sprayed. The Kremlin
denounces rising radicalism and says $9,000 fines for any one
attending rallies that “cause harm to people or property.” A
stiff fine given the average Russian yearly salary amounts to less.
Several leading activists called before an Investigative Committee on
an alleged criminal case, an attempt to deprive the event of its
headline speakers. NY
Times

While questions abound about the
relevance of the “Occupy brand” these days, the PR firm that did
unsolicited (?) pro-bono work for the demonstrators in the early days
of Occupy Wall Street has garnered a “Silver Anvil” from the
Public Relations
Society of America. It
seems that Workhouse
Publicity, an elite
agency, took it upon itself to go down to Zuccotti Park and develop a
campaign to shift attention from the demonstrators to their issues.
Washington
Post

True
to form, Occupy Wall Street, who never engaged the firm officially,
is less than impressed. “ “Our success shouldn’t rely on a
company that works with the one percent,” according to press
spokesperson Dana Balicki.

Speaking of PR, it may be a boon
or a bust but actress and former sex symbol Jane Fonda comes out for
Occupy in a recent interview calling it a “wonderful, important
movement.” Fonda rose to prominence in the 60s and 70s causing
controversy with her public opposition to the war in Vietnam,
huffpost

While
the “fate of Occupy” is discussed and debated, Occupy Comics
rolls on, adding Maus
creator
Art Spiegelman to its roster of artists, who are using the forum to
address the various socio-economic factors that gave rise to the
movement. The comics are availble in physical and electronic format
from the Black
Mask Online Storewith
the profits going to fund the movement.

The
spate of pessimistic articles is to be expected on the heels of the
Scott Walker recall victory in Wisconsin. Another past-time of
commentators, closely connected to ongoing occupy speculation is
predicting the demise of the labor movement in the United States.
Andy Kroll at tomdispatch.com
writes lends some sanity to the proceedings, writing on “How
the Wisconsin Movement Got Hijacked”

File
under : and this is news?
If Occupy feels the need to “get back” (video above), and broaden
its appeal to the 99%, it need look no further than consumer
frustration with being “nickel and dimed to death” by high bank
fees and the arcane language that governs use of checking accounts.
According to a recent “Pew
Safe Checking in the Electronic Age”
Study :

"Consumers
are expected to wade through long, confusing documents and may be
subject to steep, unexpected fees to access their own checking
accounts, the cornerstone of household financial management,"
said project director Susan Weinstock. cnnmoney

Cities
:

Occupy Oakland
keeps the heat on city councilor Pat Kernighan, sponsor of the
ordinance that broadly prohibits potential weapons at Occupy Oakland
demonstrations. Occupy demonstrators march to the councilor's house
(with a 6 car police escort) and stage a mini-rally, ringing her door
bell and chanting slogans, as well as bringing a plethora of items
they say could be misconstrued as weapons, such as a fairy wand, a
baguette, a piece of chicken, an umbrella and a yoga mat.
Insidebayarea.com

Oakland remains a tinderbox
of community and police tensions, with
many shootings taking place already in 2012 The city has tried to
deal with rising crime and violence by implementing a so-called “100
blocks plan”, which takes aim, at times literally, at areas (and
residents) said to be the highest concentration of crime. A new study
finds the plan failing. Oaklandlocal.com

Police there are now said to be
outsourcing their internal affairs investigation of their own
misconduct during the city's fall occupy rallies at which former
Marine now icon Scott Olsen was injured by a police projectile fired
at demonstrators. The cost of hiring outside law firms and private
investigators is said to be $750,000, or the annual cost of 4 police
officers. Contracostatimes.com

The
outsourcing of community police functions has been widely mentioned.
Municipal departments face budget cuts, which reduce and threaten
public safety, as certain “non-violent” calls, such as
burglaries, are no longer responded to. However, notes
thecrimereport.org,
the cuts have “opened the doors for private companies to move in.”

As elsewhere, charges
brought by police are often trumped up and later dismissed by the
courts. Witness the case brought against Occupy activist Chris
Morland, who has been protesting the
police shooting of teen-ager Alan Blueford, allegedly unarmed.
Morland took on the police chief Howard Jordan in a public forum at
the Acts Full Gospel Church, where community complaints about the
shooting and OPD misconduct and brutality were aired. The cops waited
until he got to BART (pls
pass the word to Robert Pattinson), then swarmed him, charging
him with felony assault with a deadly weapon (a bullhorn). A judge
later reduced the charge to Disturbing the Peace. Supporters rallied
on Morland's behalf the day he was scheduled to be released
indybay.org

On the same side of the bay, a
judge tosses the charges of trespassing against the two remaining
Occupy the Farm protesters. The protesters had occupied a UC-Berkeley
piece of farm land slated for private development and a Whole Foods
to protect it for local, community farming. The
Daily Californian

Ditto
in Philly, where 7 Occupiers are acquitted on trespassing charges.
The occupiers had staged a sit in at the Comcast Center in Center
CityPhilly.com

The
DC Encampment is officially history. It's unclear what happened
exactly, but after some discussion the tents came down and the area
has been cleared.Washington
Post

Today's
Volvo Ocean Race Update highlights the Lisbon in-port race, which
sees Groupama attempting to become the first french team to win since
1985 even as Telefonica takes the leg 8 lead. Blogs.sun-sentinel.com